The Price of Strength
by Don't Use Orbs
Summary: 6 Pokemon, all created to become the ultimate fighter. All 6 have a trecherous backstory, life, and discover so much through their course of living. Even they want a chance to live a proper life.
1. Prologue

**Aah, I believe this story I'm starting will last quite a while. I've never been able to keep up with my stories well, but I'll try my best with this. I've completed the prologue and chapter one before uploading for a good start.**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Far away, cut off from the continually expanding regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, a lone island stood out through deep fog, in the middle of a vast ocean. At a closer glance, there seem to be signs of life, as oran berries grow on trees, and rattata roam the isle. However, the only sign of a human life on the island was a stark white building, standing out from the rest of the nature-filled land mass.

Inside the building, organized into endless halls, people rushed back and forth room to room, all dressed in white, matching their shelter. They moved carts filled with fluids in glasses, carried clipboards, or were barking orders out.. At the end of a particularly guarded hallway, a sign stood stating

IV EFFORT ROOM

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

**ENTRANCE PROHIBITED-PUNISHMENT:DEATH**

KEEP AWAY

"Hehe." A man walked up to the door, and the guards stiffened.

"ID please." The guards commenced with their duty, although there was almost no point-everybody knew this man.

"Here, boys." The man snickered, and shortly after, he was approved entrance. The guards retained their original positions, flinching slightly when the man walked past them. He opened the door, put his hands in his white coat pocket, and craned his neck backwards.

"Boys."

"Y-yes sir?"

"If this is such a closely guarded room, shouldn't there be better security?" The man snickered horribly again, and brought out two knives from his pocket, then proceeding to stab the guards.

Both guards fell prey to his swift movement, and were pierced with the aim of a skilled assassin in the heart. "Just a simple trick earns so much." The man suddenly morphed, his human shape turning to an indefinite figure, to a pink blob.

"Ditto." It squeaked.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

'_It's th__e same. Always.' _Spending my days in this room would be the last thing I'd do, but I don't have a choice in the matter. I looked around at my bleak surroundings; a dark room filled with tubes, sharp materials, a huge amount of eggs, and Pokemon scared stiff in cages or dead, with blood covering them in bright red. '_These…humans. They call this an experiment lab. What's so special about it? It's violent, like the rest of the world.' _I didn't know HOW I knew all this; I have never stepped outside of this cage, let alone seen a human either. The knowledge…it was like it was IMPLANTED into me.

'_Eh. All this doesn't matter. I'll just wait till I die.' _I slumped down, eyes downcast, rounded tail placed on top of my head. It's been 3 weeks since I was holed up in here…..since I've known of my existence. '_Am I just 3 weeks old? How do I understand all this?'_

'_Yes. I'm right. It's always the same.' Time would pass, but I would just wait here…doing nothing…nothing would happen. Just…wait my life away._

_Today, however, would be different, and I would have no choice in the matter._

_Alarms suddenly started buzzing around the room, making irritating noises and shocking everyone in the room, including myself. The walls lit up bright red for a second, and the only door in the room opened. _

_A pink blob stood at the door; I assumed that was the creature who opened the door. The strange creature had no shape, and instead seemed very pale and boring, contrasting with the current situation and what it had just done. I saw it utter words from a small mouth:_

"_Let's get her out."_

_Those words triggered something I would later come to understand as insanity. I desperately wanted out of this cage, desperately wanted to have a proper life, desperately wanted ANYTHING BUT THIS. I started pounding on the cage, screaming frantically for them to save me, to get me out, emotions flowing non-stop. _

"_HELP ME!"_

_The pink blob turned, smiling slightly. Another blur whizzed past it, jumping on top of my cage. _

"_Hey, didn't we just say 'let's get her out'?" The other creature was orange as apposed to the pink blob, and had a more definite figure. A male voice echoed from his mouth. His whole body was shaped much like cat, with yellow fur running around his body. My eyes filled with tears due to sheer ecstasy._

"_Hey." The orange feline Pokemon spoke. "You'll be amazed at what happens next." I pushed myself up with my feet, and was about to ask, but he suddenly shot a huge flame at the cage, engulfing me and the whole cage in flames. I panicked and spun around desperately. "W-what are you-_

_I stared at my fur. None of it was on fire; instead, it was shining light blue; my whole body was coated completely with this intense shine. The cage around me, however, fell apart due to the huge flame, edges scorched completely black._

"_I'm sure you've wondered why you know how to speak, think, and understand language. This fur you're coated with is showing your future. Your whole life has been pre-determined by crazy experimenters, who've implanted everything into you to make you perfect." The orange cat stared at me, eyes serious._

"_However, even if you're perfect, it doesn't mean you can do anything unrealistic at the moment. Your power's still developing." He gestured at the burnt cage. _

"_We're here to wreck those experimenters' plans and give you a possible future to look forwards to." He stopped speaking._

_I stared a him, wide-eyed, unable to grasp at what he said. However, there was no time to ask about anything, as he continued, not allowing me time to speak._

"_Those experimenters are coming back now. You've got to flee from this place. My friend here, Ditto," he gestured to the pink blob, "has enough energy to give you a chance to teleport away from the island, as far as possible."_

_My brain gave an initial cheer of joy, but was cut off when I realized he said "enough energy." I may not understand emotions well yet, but I knew I would feel this "guilt" if they were left behind; and besides, I still had questions.. Who are these people? Why would they go through all this trouble to help someone random like me?_

_The pink blob, Ditto, suddenly morphed, switching from it's indiscriminate form. The pinkish colour swirled in with a yellow hue, and the yellow dominated. Ditto's shape shifted upwards, gaining easily a metre in length. The current figure had two spoons in his hand, and a moustache stretching from it's face. _

"_Wait, what will ha-"_

"_Take this." The orange figure stretched his neck out, holding a piece of paper in his mouth. I received it hesitantly, and he looked over his head. _

"_Ditto, now."_

_A look of worry coursed through me, and the two disappeared, as well as everything else in my vision._


	2. Bali the Eevee

"wake up…wake upp…" A quiet female voice alerted me, while a gentle shove on my side got me awake.

"Wha…" I blinked a few times, and opened my eyes. A huge, dark cave surrounded me, with no sound; no scurrying of Pokemon, no water dripping, nothing. I stared at the exit a couple of leaps away, where snow and harsh wind dominated in a wintry landscape. My head turned, and I faced to see the Pokemon that woke me up.

This Pokemon had a sleek coat of brown fur, a bushy tail with a white tip, and a body shaped like a cat…cat…

cat…

CAT.

'_The orange cat!' _My mind raced, remembering what occurred before I had been unconscious. "Wha-what's going on? Where am I? Where's that orange cat and the pink blob?" I frantically asked, mind filled with worry.

The brown cat tipped her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" Her expression was quizzical.

"We're in a place called Sinnoh, but how could you not know that? You wouldn't come so north without knowing your location." She explained.

I hysterically searched my head for answers, and came up with a simple memory.

_My friend here, Ditto," he gestured to the pink blob, "has enough energy to give you a chance to teleport away from the island, as far as possible."_

'_That's right…I was teleported away from that lab…'_ I realized I had escaped the horrible loneliness of that place, but I wondered what happened to the orange cat and ditto. '_The cat said they only had enough energy to transport me…'_

"Hellooo? You're really spacy." the female cat spoke quietly, looking worried. "Can you tell me your name?"

I focused my attention on the cat. She seemed to know about this surrounding area, so my best bet would be to follow her for now.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a name.

"Umm…I don't have one…" I grinned sheepishly. My face turned red, embarrassed. However, the cat had a different expression. She looked…happy.

"Hey!" She chirped. "That's the first smile I've seen you make. You were tossing and turning like crazy in your sleep; you were probably having a nightmare."

'_You don't know anything yet.'_

She continued talking. "As for your name, I don't think it'd be right for me, a stranger, to just give you one."

"And…I have to be going." She got up. "I have to meet a deadline, and time's almost up. Bye, fellow eevee."

'_Eevee? Is that what I am?' _This thought made me more curious, and I was further swayed into the idea of sticking around her.

"Wait. You're just going to leave a Pokemon that doesn't even know the area at all by herself?" I asked her, worried.

She blushed out of embarrassment, much like I just did a moment ago. "Whoops, I was so focused, I forgot about that. You don't know anything about this place at all?"

I responded with a firm "no".

"C'mon. We'll start walking to my destination, and I'll explain everything to you. Maybe that'll help you discover what's going on." She grinned, and I got up, and started walking with her.

We exited the cave, me listening to her chatter. I tried to take in her information and the scenery all at once, as I have never been outside of the lab room, but I also needed information desperately. From what the cat told me, this place was the top of the "Sinnoh" region, where endless snow falls. This was a unique place, as other regions did not have snow often. '_Other regions…'_

I decided to question her on other things. "What exactly is your mission? It sounds pretty important, from the way you were acting." She looked up and smiled.

"I'm going to the snow rock at the top of this region to evolve! This is actually more of a personal goal, rather than a mission." She spoke, eyes fixated in the distance.

"Aah…I see…" I searched my brain for the words "snow rock" and "evolve", coming up with results I never knew I well…knew. While this implanted information would be useful, it would be very frightening at the same time. Evolution was a process Pokemon undergo to change appearance, usually to become stronger, while the snow rock was a way of triggering evolution.

We continued walking at a rapid pace, and I questioned some more. I discovered "Eevee" was a Pokemon species, and my cat companion was an eevee, like myself. Her name was Neko, and she had been obsessed with winter and all sorts of snow-related things since she was young. '_Her world and life already seem large; I wonder what the rest of the world is like.' _I was brought back to reality as I realized I shouldn't be so relaxed; I have to help the orange cat and ditto! '_But there's really nothing I can do anymore; Ditto said he would transport me as far away as possible, and I doubt I could find their location anytime soon. The orange cat seemed strong, so I'm sure they won't be beaten by any of those scientists they mentioned. For now, I should focus on staying with Neko and discovering this world, until I have the strength to help them.'_

"Aah. Look, a cave!" Neko gestured to a nearby cut in the mountains we were traveling on. "We've traveled quite far, and it's a little late. We should reach the snow rock by tomorrow!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "Do you want to stop for today?"

I looked up at the sky. The sun was almost down, and the evening setting cast an _orange_ glow on the snow. "Okay. Let's go in there." I replied, neutrally.

We walked over to the cave, feet crunching the snow on the ground, leaving paw prints. I felt happy for the first time in my life; even if it was short, my implanted knowledge made me feel older than Arceus.

Little did I know these next days would be extremely life-changing.

But at least it's my choice now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Neko and I were comfortably settled in the cave. It was not unlike the last one we were in; same eerie but calming quietness, but we couldn't make a fire. Neither me nor Neko had access to fire moves, or could go out in the suddenly increased precipitation of snow and hail.

Neko, lying down with her paws in front, looked out from the cave. "We picked a good time to settle, huh?"

"Mhm." I responded, unsure of what to say.

"Let's just go to sleep, friend. Maybe we'll discover a name for you one day." I could make out a faint smile, although I couldn't really see her at all, and I replied with a quiet "yeah."

Now left to my own thoughts, I was too scared to wander around and discover something horrible, either with the implanted information or my own experiences so far. '_Just go to sleep…'_ I couldn't think about this anymore…

_I desperately wanted out of this cage, desperately wanted to have a proper life, desperately wanted ANYTHING BUT THIS. _

…

"_Hey, didn't we just say 'let's get her out'?" _

…

"_We're here to wreck those experimenters' plans and give you a possible future to look forwards to." _

…

_You can't run away from this. Your destiny's pre-determined. Don't try to get away..._

Hearing Neko's movement, I snapped out of my trance. "Hey. What's going on?" I noticed her move over beside me, head hovering over.

"Are you having another nightmare?" Hearing concern stuck in her voice, I knew I couldn't make her worry more.

"No, why do you ask?" I asked her as neutrally as my voice would allow after the traumatic event.

"…because you were trembling and tossing and screaming. That's why."

"…oh."

…

We spent the rest of the night huddled together, talking idly, but never stopping. However advanced I would become, I would never understand these acts of kindness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Morning_

"Eh…" Waking up from a deep sleep, I yawned and shuffled around, trying to wake myself up. I looked over to my left side; Neko huddled up, tail on her nose to cover the small Eevee figure with warmth. I smiled at my new friend.

"Hm? What's this?" I felt something fall off my stomach, and looked down. It was a small note, with words hastily scribbled. '_Whatever this is, we probably never noticed because it was stuck on such an unusual place.'_

I searched my brain for implanted knowledge on how to read, shuddered at the quick learning, and stared at the note.

_Dear Bali, _

_Yes your name is Bali, first of all. Secondly, this is Ditto and Flareon (the orange cat, yes) contacting you. Remember I gave you something when Ditto teleported you?_

Suddenly coming to terms with such shocking information would never be easy, but this was minor compared to the shock I received in the lab. I continued reading.

_First of all, we have worked extremely hard to give you; the ultimate project, freedom from the scientists. Do not come back for us, as we will not be killed. Ditto and I formed a partnership just to be able to free you, so coming back would waste our efforts. Be free to live your own life and not be stuck in fear at the experiment lab. _

_P.S. We've given you a package attached to this note that holds the key to your unavoidable part of the future. After that, it's all your choice._

_Flareon and Ditto_

The end of the note was signed with a small burn mark, and 3 small stones, one blue, one red, and one yellow, hung on the note.

Staring at the note in shock, I woke Neko with a push from my paw, eyes never leaving the paper. I proceeded to shove the note in her face.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We were racing to the snow rock, full speed ahead. It was still early morning, as the sun was just barely out; most Pokemon were still sleeping, but there wasn't many in actuality; the coldness in this region drove many to the south. I ran frustrated, with Neko slightly behind me, shouting my newfound name.

_Flashback_

_Neko's face remained completely neutral when she finished the note. Then, she burst out in complete hysteria._

"_You-you were an experiment? Ultimate Pokemon? What's going on?" She frantically screamed, and lost control between sobs. _

_I told her about my encounter with Ditto and Flareon, my life before the incident, and the teleportation. She sat there, ever attentive, and listened to the whole story. It wasn't a very long one, but important nonetheless. _

_At the end of the story, I sighed. We sat there for a few moments, and I finally spoke. "The snow rock starts evolution, right?"_

_She replied "yes."_

"_And that makes you stronger, right?"_

_She nodded affirmatively._

"…"

"_I'm going there, evolving, and tracking down the experiment lab."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gasping for air dreadfully, I stared upon the snow rock. It was glistening with snow, shimmering and gleaming with the reflection of the ice everywhere. It stood prominently out from the rest of the white scenery, basically providing huge amounts of light during nighttime, and glowing brightly during the day. (Yes, we get that it's shiny.)

I walked up slowly to it, paws once again crushing the snow. Neko wasn't far behind, screaming at me. I hovered above the rock, whispering.

"You _will _make me stronger, right?"

That's when I heard a scream, and my head sharply twisted back. Neko was surrounded completely by snover, and a huge abomasnow. They all looked fierce, ready to rip her into pieces. _'I should be able to do something in this situation! I WAS created as the ultimate Pokemon!'_ My thoughts scanned through the implanted information of attacks I could perform. Suddenly, without my willing, a huge ball of darkness formed at my mouth, causing me to whine uncomfortably. But knowing the situation was dire, I aimed it at one snover, and used my held information to figure out how to release it.

The abomasnow moved his arm and completely nullified my attack, which caused the whole gang of Ice/Grass types to look at me.

I took in Flareon's words.

"_However, even if you're perfect, it doesn't mean you can do anything unrealistic at the moment. Your power's still developing." _

'_Shit! Then what can I do? If my power's not developed, I'm as useless as a normal Pokemon…useless…I need power.' _I looked back at the snow rock, and ran frantically to it. The abomasnow, however, had other plans.

He sneered at me with a hateful tone. "If you decide to move or do anything, we'll destroy you right away!" That sentence made me stop in my tracks.

'_Aah…what can I do…I can't defeat them…I can't help Neko…'_

_A voice popped in my head again, stating "Be free to live your own life and not be stuck in fear at the experiment lab. We've given you a package attached to this note that holds the key to your unavoidable part of the future. After that, it's all your choice." _

_Yes. It's my choice. I don't need the snow rock. _

I pulled the note I had out with me, and quickly touched the blue stone, allowing the light to envelop me the same way it did back at the experiment lab.

"_Bali is an island far away from here, just like the experiment lab. It's known for its amazing volcanic scenery; that's why I named you Bali. I hoped you would choose the fire stone, and become like me." Flareon's voice echoed from the blue--water stone._

"_However, it seems your choice was different. You are a supporter and protector, Bali. Not a fighter who needs power. Even the scientists knew that; they worked on you in the lab room; the IV effort room, basing you on defense rather than offense. Do not ever forget that…" Flareon's voice faded away, and I became fully charged with energy._

_The energy of evolution._

"It's my choice."

I stepped out of the glow, facing the surprised group of Pokemon.


	3. Dusk the Togepi

_One year before Bali and Neko's meeting_

"Hey, look, it's that failure." Some Pokemon snickered as I walked past them.

"He thinks he's so amazing, with that colouring." Other Pokemon teased back.

"But he's nothing more than a **lonely outcast **no one wants."

That comment made me slightly annoyed, and I turned to glare at the togepi who just spoke. My eyes not reflecting anger, sadness, or anything for that matter, I continued staring at him, as everyone backed away nervously.

He showed some hesitation, and the look of confidence on his face was wiped clean. "Wha-what are YOU staring at, you outcast?"

His words were harsh, but he had no strength in them. I turned away after a few more seconds of glaring, and started walking down the path again.

The crowd of Togepi's back there were cheering on the one who stood my glare; Soul. He was always most daring of the Togepi group, and constantly trying to overwhelm me with his social status.

I, however, am what he said.

I'm a lonely outcast.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Everywhere I went, Pokemon shunned me. In this little school, the older Pokemon bullied me, the younger Pokemon were not afraid to laugh at me, and even teachers would make jokes behind my back. My quiet nature made everything worse, as they thought I was acting superior to them with my alternate colouring. Even walking down the nature path to my next class would result in huge problems…_

"_Hello, MASTER, how is your day today?" A nearby ponyta spoke in a mocking tone._

"_Would you like me to PREPARE LUNCH for you?" A pink nidoran joined in the "fun"._

_I glared at them with my usual coldness, eyes without life, and continued walking on. The next class I had would be held at the centre flower path, very close to Goldenrod city. Unlike most Pokemon, this school handled many things humans did, and as a result, the students were more educated in human affairs than most Pokemon. Furthermore…_

…._this daily routine of bullying never bothered me._

…_at least, not much._

_Rounding the corner into the centre flower path, I kept my usual slow walking pace, and looked up, expecting to see the usual scenery; students running around talking to various others, and the teacher preparing her props to teach with._

_However, everything would be different today._

_A different kind of different._

_A life-changing kind of different._

_All the students were huddled in one line, all producing a glare similar to mines. The teacher was nowhere in sight._

_I blinked, then spoke. "Where's the teacher." I asked calmly. "What's going on here."_

_None of the Pokemon spoke, but instead grinned mischievously. _

"_You've…been such an annoyance to us, Dusk." Another ponyta spoke._

_A houndour continued. "We're here to get rid of you. Now. Prepare your fire, everyone."_

_A common threat I just realized, in internal panic, was that all these Pokemon were fire-types. If I survived the blast of fire, the school would collapse on me, being a lethal hazard to my life. _

"_You…are you trying to kill yourselves?" I screamed in panic, displaying a rare emotion._

_Fear._

"_It doesn't seem you've been working very hard in class, Dusk." A slugma sneered._

_Flames formed in the corners of their mouths, and one Houndour, delaying his fire, whispered._

"_**Flash fire prevents us from being killed."**_

_A surge of lava was shot from them, arching slightly upwards. I turned and started running, my stubby legs unused to the current panicked speed I was going at. _

'_No…I can't outrun that flame…' I closed my eyes, stumpy hands covering my head in fright._

_I was waiting._

_Waiting for that inevitable death._

_Those humans would talk about how their "life flashed before their eyes"; I just wish I could be that lucky. _

_You can probably tell. No one ever, has cared for me. At all._

_I felt a flicked of flame on my arm, scorching it slightly. The rest of my body, however, was not enveloped in the burning flame. I turned around, slightly confused. _

_Standing there was a Vulpix. 'A betrayer in the group?' I was not initially happy at the thought my life had been saved, or more importantly, someone valued my life, in the end. I was just suspicious of why the fox had done that. 'She might've wanted to protect the school…' _

_My pessimistic thoughts were erased as she turned her head, smiling, and spoke. _

"_Don't…ever give up like that. Keep going…till the end. You're okay this time though…that's…__**good**__." The fox, with too little energy, collapsed, and fainted._

_I let her words sink in. 'Someone…someone actually cares….for once…' The shock had prevented myself from thinking clearly, and I rushed over to the Vulpix's side. The fire-types ran away, as the rest of the school would appear soon over the disturbance created by the flames._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_I waited in the hospital room, the place humans called a "Pokemon centre." Normally, even our teachers would be wary of these dangerous humans, but our school had no medical care, so there was no choice. So far, the humans had not done anything to betray our trust, however. _

_Being a Pokemon, I was allowed into the room Vulpix was in, provided I did not touch anything. All the humans stereotypically thought Pokemon understood human speech unconditionally, but it took effort to learn, like any language. It was beneficial to go to this school, since they had human language courses, which I had finished. _

_I looked up at the "nurse", and she smiled. "You can go see Vulpix now, little Togepi." I gave a small frown at the comment of being "little", but ignored it and hopped on a chair, so I could be eye-toe-eye with Vulpix, lying in a bed._

_Her red fur was scorched, but only a small spot remained black after the healing. She had the ability flash fire as well, as no other Pokemon, even water-types, would have survived the blast of heat. I stared at her, brain spinning curiously. 'Why would she help me? Does she want something from me? What do I have? What could this mean?' My doubts were coming back as strong as ever, synchronizing with my suspicious nature once again, as I was calm. However, these thoughts melted away as I heard her groan, waking up._

"_Uh…hey. Dusk, I believe? How are you?" She gave a small grin._

'_How can she smile in this situation?'_

"_Uh….I'm fine. Not injured at all."_

"_That's good. You would've died from that…" She closed her eyes a little, hinting sadness._

_I wasn't sure what to say, but I knew I would feel this "guilt" if I didn't comfort her. She did save me from death, and no matter the reason, I still owe her._

"_Hey, well, no one's dead. The school's still there. You're healed, but you need a little rest. What's there to be sad about?" I even tried to make a smile, but turned into a horrible silly face instead._

_She laughed at my efforts, and chirped happily. "You're right. Everything's alright…" She drifted off, her eyes closing…._

…

"_Hey."_

_I jumped slightly, mostly because I thought she went back to sleep. _

"_I still haven't introduced myself." She opened one eye._

"_I've seen you around the school before, but wasn't sure whether to approach you or not." Her mood became slightly gloomy again. "I hope you'll forgive me for that."_

"_I'm sure it would've been a hard decision anyways. You're forgiven." I spoke neutrally._

"_Well, my name's Saiori. Nice to meet you." She grinned._

"_Dusk. Likewise." _

_I tried smiling, getting a good trademark Togepi grin this time._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_It was a few days since my meeting with Saiori. We walked to school together on the next day, when she was completely healed and the nurse gave her approval to leave. No one made fun of her for sticking with me during that incident, as they would be making fun of the Pokemon who saved the school. Classes went by normally; Pokemon failed to tease me too, as Saiori was waiting for me after every class. At lunch on the first day, we sat out in the back of the school, where I asked her: "I hope I'm not bothering you. You're with me all the time, so you probably can't be with your friends."_

_She replied with her usual cheerful tone. "No, I acknowledge that they're my friends, but we're just school friends. They enjoy being with other friends too, and it won't hurt anybody if I'm with you."_

_I blushed at the seriousness of those words, and she quickly corrected herself. "No-no, I didn't mean it like that!" her face turned a brighter red than it was, and she was shaking her forepaws frantically._

"_Ha, I know. I'm just overwhelmed. You know I've never been approached by anyone…"_

_She looked over, worried. "Don't forget what you said. "What's there to be sad about?" You've got a friend now, right here, with you. You're not alone anymore." Another one of her famous smiles appeared on her face, and an ecstatic feeling coursed through me. I decided to ask something daring, right there and then. I didn't need to know her reasons for saving me; becoming my friend was more than I would've ever dreamed for. _

"…_will we be friends forever?"_

_Saiori turned her head, and laughed. "You don't even have to ask that. Of course."_

"…_Pinky promise?" I chuckled a little, holding out my pinkiless arm. She took her forepaw, and tapped it on mines._

"_Pinky promise."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_The days afterwards were the "weekend" the humans call it, where we took a break from school. I agreed to meet Saiori at the lake nearby the school. There, we would venture to Ilex Forest, to gather berries for our families and for snacking on during lunch._

_I stood at the small lake, waiting for Saiori. We had used human clocks just this once to aid in our meeting, and the time was scheduled to be 10:00 a.m. It was currently 9:55 a.m.; I was keeping time in my head._

_Time passed by, Pokemon passed by, fortunately they were too into talking to each other to notice me. _

_Saiori never passed by. _

_It was 11:00 a.m._

_I searched my head through for Saiori's residence; she told me where she lived yesterday, and I began to walk_

"_Hey. Dusk. Outcast." My mood sharply veered into a cold-hearted mode, and I swerved just as fast to turn to the direction of the noise. _

_Two houndoom were staring smugly at me, dark fur gleaming, and they looked anxious to fight. They flanked a single Pokemon._

_Saiori._

"_Where have you been?" I questioned her. "…who are they?" My furious worry betrayed my calm exterior._

"_Tell that outcast, Saiori."_

_She glared at me angrily, and I was slightly unnerved. 'Did I do something wrong?' I asked myself._

"_Dusk…I'm leaving you." She spoke simply._

"_Wha-wha-why?" A shock of worry coursed through me, as I asked the question. My head started hurting, and I started to feel dizzy. 'How can she make me feel so bad from a few words? I'm not that weak…' _

"_All this…it was a plan to get you to feel emotions. We couldn't defeat you…so we attacked you emotionally. It's worse than death…" She looked down, tails drooping._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

These events occurred one year ago. Saiori no longer means anything to me, I haven't seen her in the school ever since, and nor am I affected by the event anymore. I just continue on, living.

But not really living.

The main problem in my hands at the moment, would be graduation. In 2 days, it would be the end of school for my grade, as we're in the senior class. At this ceremony, all Pokemon that are able to evolve with a special method must; a Togepi, in this case, has to form a bond with another Pokemon that they cherish more than anything, in order to evolve.

That's a pretty harsh punishment for me.

I looked at the school clock, the time stating 8:00 p.m. '_What am I doing here still?' _I questioned myself, confused. Thinking about my past doesn't really draw me into a trance…

I started walking to the door, venturing home. My family also shunned me, so I usually just sneaked by them to my room, and spend my whole entire time there. I've never really walked into any spot besides my room, in our household. As I was walking down the path, I heard noises nearby, in the tall grass.

"Aah! It's not working! Dusk isn't feeling any pain!" The unusual words I heard drew my attention, and I peeked quietly from the edge of the tall grass. I spotted the two houndoom that had flanked Saiori a year ago, and felt my anger rise.

I also saw Saiori. For the first time in a year.

The fox's eyes widened as the other Houndoom spoke. "If he doesn't feel pain from losing someone so important, we should just be rid of him. There's nothing else we can do; emotions don't seem to reach him."

Saiori spoke angrily and worried. "Hey! I thought you said if I help you in your task, you wouldn't target Dusk! Killing him is what you promised to not do!"

The first houndoom's eyes flashed with delight from Saiori's words. "Thank you…little fox…you've given me an idea. Maybe there is another way to hurt him…if he doesn't feel pain from losing the little fox, why don't we kill the fox in front of his eyes?"

The other houndoom reacted similarly, while Saiori held a different face; pure horror.

"We'll go find Dusk now. If we do it in the morning, we'll cause commotion in the school and be found out."

Both houndooms turned to Saiori, and released a jet of flame. It grazed Saiori's legs, slightly burning it. _'Saiori can't be damaged by a mere fire move…' _However, contrary to what I knew, she suddenly fell down, legs crumbling beneath her, screaming in pain.

"What's going on? Why is my leg in pain? What did YOU DO?" She screamed at the duo, while they laughed.

"Dark, you explain." One houndoom said.

The other one, Dark, nodded. "A houndoom's flame, once it burns a victim, will continue to cause pain for the rest of the victim's life. That's why houndour's are removed if they evolve before graduation."

'_The pain…it will never go away..' _I shuddered, while Saiori screamed in pain. '_I can't watch this anymore…'_ I suddenly remembered their goal; they're trying to cause me pain; but instead of burns, they're going to kill Saiori.

'_I'm glad I stayed around after school.' _I looked around, spotting a small stone. '_Here's what I need…I hope this works…'_

'_I'm going to save Saiori.'_

Dark turned his head over to the other houndoom. "Drag the fox by her tail. Let's go, Spite."

Spite nodded, moving his mouth over the still-writhing Vulpix's tail.

I walked into the tall grass, entering the clearing my fateful battle would be located in.

"**Sheesh. One burn and you're out of it, already, Saiori? What happened to the Vulpix that blocked the huge flame?" **

Both houndooms and Saiori looked over, all surprised at my presence. The shock didn't remain for long, though.

"Hey, Dusk's here, so that saves us the trouble of finding you!" Dark smiled evilly, and then Spite started speaking.

"You won't be able to do anything. We're about t-"

"Yeah. I know. Kill Saiori, ruin my life, blah blah blah, right?" I scoffed at them.

Spite became shocked I knew this, but Dark's composure stayed. "That also saves us the trouble of explaining. It's a two-in-one! Thanks for being here so we can wreck your life, Dusk."

"**Just one problem.**"

I looked over at Saiori, trying to not wince at the deadly pain she was going through. "D-Dusk?"

"You…did all these horrible things to save me from being targeted, didn't you?" She lightly nodded, pain forcing her into further submission.

I continued, fully aware of her pain; I had to say these things, no matter what. "Well, didn't you say we'd be friends forever? Friends help each other. You didn't have to ditch me. We could've solved it all together."

I looked down. "**We pinky promised. Everything will work out fine.**"

Saiori was trying her best to put up a smile, even in this situation. I smiled back, feeling a new energy course through my body. '_Looks like I'll still have a problem at graduation. I won't be able to evolve…because I'll be at my last stage…'_

A bright light suddenly covered me, stunning Dark, Spite, and everyone else that could be around within a huge area. I felt my back sprout with wings, and my legs grow longer, as well as a neck suddenly forcing its way between my body and head. The bright light subsided, indicating a successful evolution.

Dark and Spite stood unfazed. "You have wings now, big deal." They laughed. However, they would be unprepared for what happened next. I grabbed the stone I picked up earlier, and a Pokemon's voice coursed through it.

"_This is Flareon, approver of stone evolution." _An image of an orange cat with yellow fur appeared in my head. "_You're the 3rd__ of the experimenters projects…get ready for many huge battles to come. Your evolution knowledge is already in your brain. Search for it. I approve of your evolution to Togekiss."_

This evolution was much less flashy, as I disappeared, and re-appeared again, form completely changed. My body morphed into a shape of a large bird, and my feet shrunk stubby again, to the back of the body. I had also lost my arms.

I tried what the Flareon had told me, and searched my brain for attacks.

"It was a promise of a lifetime, Saiori," I let energy flow to the front of my mouth, a blue sphere readied to fire.

As the blue sphere was launched at the Houndooms, my body flashed white; the normal Togekiss colour.

"**A pinky promise of a lifetime."**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Author's note: C'mon ppl, review xD The hit count on the story, for some reason, isn't working. So my hit count is at 0 D= I don't really know if anybody's found this story, and reading it.**


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